Overvarnish assembly for continuous can printing machines

ABSTRACT

A PAIR OF METERING ROLLERS ARE ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, AND AS A UNIT RELATIVE TO A COATING ROLLER FOR CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF VARNISH TRANSFERRED TO THE COATING ROLLER, AND THE COATING ROLLER BEING ADJUSTABLE RELATIVE TO A PRINTED CONTAINER, BEING CONVEYED FROM A PRINTING STATION, WHEREBY THE THICKNESS OF THE VARNISH COATING APPLIED TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE CONTAINER MAY BE CONTROLLED.

Nov. 2, 1971 E. SIRVET EI'AL 3,616,778

OVERVARNISH ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS CAN PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 12. 1969 5 Sheets-She et 1 F8 EN VEIIEJVENTORS N SIR EDWARD J. WHELAN JOHNRSKRYPEK Nov. 2, 1971 E. SIRVET ETAL 3,616,118

OVERVARNISH ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS CAN PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 12, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N I INVENTORS 2 ENN T ATTORNF YS NOV. 2, 1971 siRVET ETAL 3,616,778

OVERVARNISH ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS CAN PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 12, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 2, 1971 5|RVET ETAL 3,616,778

OVERVARNISH ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS CAN PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 12, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

FIG-4 .9 f .2

Nov. 2, 1971 s T ETAL 3,616,778

OVERVARNISH ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS CAN PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 12, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG? United States Patent 015cc 3,616,778 Patented Nov. 2, 1971 3,616,778 OVERVARNISH ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS CAN PRINTING MACHINES Enn Sirvet, Ridgefield, Edward J. Whelan, Hasbrouck Heights, and John P. Skrypek, Clifton, N.J., assignors to Sun Chemical Corporation, New York, N.Y.

Filed June 12, 1969, Ser. No. 832,765 Int. Cl. Bc 1/00 US. Cl. 118262 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the printing or decorating of containers such as toothpaste tubes, beer cans, and the like, it is customary to coat the exterior surface of the container with a thin -film of varnish or lacquer after the container has been conveyed through the printing station. It is well known in the art that the thickness of the film applied to the container is gauged by the relative positions of the rollers within the coating assembly; thus, accuracy is highly desirable in the spacing of these rollers. While the various known varnish coating assemblies have been satisfactory for their intended purpose, they have been open to certain objections particularly with regard to the accuracy with which the rollers may be adjusted and also the time required to accomplish this adjustment of the rollers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To overcome the disadvantages experienced in heretofore employed coating assemblies, the coating assembly of the present invention has been devised for effecting accurate and speedy micro-adjustment of the coating assembly rollers, and comprises, essentially, a first linkage assembly operatively connected to a pair of metering rollers whereby one of the rollers may be adjusted relative to the other roller for controlling the amount of varnish transferred to the coating roller. A second linkage assembly is operatively connected to the metering rollers whereby the metering rollers may be adjusted as a unit relative to the coating roller, and a third linkage assembly is operatively connected to the coating roller whereby the coating roller may be adjusted relative to a printed container being conveyed from the printing station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 4 is a view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

5 is a view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2;

6 is a view taken along line 66 of FIG. 2;

7 is a view taken along line 77 of FIG. 2;

8 is a view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 2;

9 is a view taken along line 99 of FIG. 2;

10 is a view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 1, the varnish assembly 1 of the present invention is adapted to be used in conjunction with a container printing or decorating machine wherein undecorated containers 2 are fed down an inclined chute 3 to a worm screw 4 where they are separated and fed to a feed Wheel 5. From the feedwheel, each undecorated container is deposited on a mandrel carrier assembly 6 which conveys the containers to a printing machine 7 wherein each container is printed or decorated by the blanket cylinder 8. The decorated containers are then sequentially conveyed past the overvarnish assembly wherein the outer surface of each container is coated with a thin film of varnish, lacquer or the like. The now decorated and coated containers are then conveyed to a transfer assembly 9 wherein they are sequentially transferred from the mandrel carrier assembly 6 to an endless conveyor 10 whereupon the containers are conveyed to a drying oven 11.

The details of the varnish assembly are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4 wherein it will be seen that the metering rollers, consisting of a coating control roller 12 and a transfer roller 13, are mounted on parallel shafts 14 and 15, respectively which are journaled within bearings 14a, 15a mounted on a frame assembly 16, rotational movement being imparted to the metering rollers by means of a belt drive gears 17 (FIG. 3) meshing with a pinion gear '18 secured to shaft 15, which in turn meshes with a similar gear 19 secured to shaft 14. The varnish is fed to the nip portion 20 of the metering rollers from a supply source (not shown) and as well understood by those skilled in the art, the spacing of the metering rollers at the nip portion determines the amount of varnish transferred to the coating roller 21. In order to effect the proper spacing between the coating control roller 12 and the transfer roller 13, the bearings 14a, 15a, carrying their respective shafts, are mounted within eccentric hub members 22, 23, respectively.

The eccentric hub members 23 are held in adjusted position within the frame 16 by means of a suitable set screw 24, and the eccentric hub members 22 are secured to a sleeve 25 by set screws 26, the sleeve being rotatably mounted within the frame 15 by a suitable bearing 27. By rotating the sleeve 25 and associated hubs 22, the micro-adjustment of the coating control roller 12 relative to the transfer roller 13 is effected. The rotation of the sleeve 25 is accomplished by means of a linkage assembly, the details of which are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, wherein it will be seen that an arm 28 is secured to the end portion of sleeve 25, and pivotally connected as at 29 to the upper end of a link 30. The lower end of the link 30 is pivotally connected as at 31 to one end of an arm 32 having its opposite end rigidly secured to a shaft 33, rotatably mounted in support frames 34, 35 through bearings 36. A crank arm 37 is connected to the end of shaft 33, the crank arm carrying a threaded block 38 which receives the end portion of an adjusting screw 39, the screw stem being journaled within a support member 40 secured to the frame 34, and the end of the stem being provided with a suitable hand Wheel 41.

From the above description it will be readily seen that when the adjusting screw 39 is rotated, the resultant movement of crank arm 37, shaft 33, arm 32 and link 30 will cause the arm 28 to move in the direction of the arrows 42, shown in FIG. 2. The movement of arm 32 will cause the sleeve 25 and associated eccentric hubs 22 to rotate thereby moving the coating control roller 12 in the direction of the arrows 43, shown in FIG. 2, whereby the space between the nip portion 20 of rollers 12 and 13 may be adjusted, thereby controlling the amount of varnish transferred to the coating roller 21.

As will be seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, adjustment of the metering rollers 12 and 13, as a unit, relative to the coating roller 21 is accomplished by providing an arm 43' on the frame 16, which carries the metering rollers, and pivotally connecting the arm at 44 to a support frame 45. The micro-adjustment of the metering rollers 12 and 13 relative to the coating roller 21 is facilitated by a crank and linkage assembly comprising a link 46 having its upper end pivotally connected to the frame 16 as at 47, the lower end of the link being pivotally connected to one end of an arm 48 as at 49. The opposite end of the arm is secured to one end of a shaft 49' journaled within frame 34, the opposite end of the shaft having a crank arm 50, secured thereto. The crank arm is provided with a threaded block 51 which receives an adjusting screw 52, the free end of the adjusting screw being received within a support block 53 secured to the frame 34, the opposite end of the adjusting screw being provided with a hand wheel 54.

From the above description, it will be readily apparent that upon rotation of the adjusting screw 52, the resultant movement of the crank arm 50, arm 48 and link 46 will cause the arm 43', carrying the frame 16, to move in the direction of the arrows 55, FIG. 2, whereby the space between the transfer roller 13 and coating roller 21 may be adjusted.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the coating roller 21 is secured to a shaft 56 which is journaled in suitable bearings 57 mounted within eccentric hubs 58 adjustably mounted within a leg member 59, the end of the shaft being provided with a driven pulley 60. As will 'be seen in FIGS. 2 and 9, the leg member 59 is disposed within the bight portion of a bifurcated arm assembly 61 and is threadably secured to an adjusting screw 62 journaled within the arms 61a of the bifurcated arm assembly. Rotation of the adjusting screw 62 is effected by means of a hand wheel 63 (FIG. 8) secured to a shaft 64 journaled within support frames 34 and 45, the shaft carrying a worm gear 65 which meshes with a gear 66, secured to one end of a stub shaft 67 which is journaled within a bearing block 68 (FIG. 2) mounted in the frame 45. The opposite end of the stub shaft is provided with a .gear 69 which meshes with another gear 70 secured to the lower end of the adjusting screw 62. It will thus be readily apparent that upon rotation of hand wheel 63, the adjusting screw 62 will move leg members 59 between the arms 61a, thereby causing the coating roller 21 to move in the direction of the arrows 71. By this construction and arrangement, the position of the coating roller 21 relative to a container carried by the mandrel assembly 6 may be adjusted. After the adjustment is made, the hand wheel 63 and associated shaft 64 are prevented from rotating by means of a set screw 72 (FIG. 8).

In order to maintain the coating roller 21 in alignment, a roller 73 (FIG. 2) is carried by a dependent arm 74 integrally formed on the leg member 59, the roller engaging the surface of a flange member 75 secured to the lower arm 61a of the bifurcated arm assembly. The stability of the coating roller is further enhanced by means of a fluid motor 76 connected to the adjusting screw 62 and frame 45 through a link and lever assembly designated generally by reference numeral 77 and as illustrated in detail in FIGS. 2, and 11. As will be seen in these figures, the cylinder of the fluid motor is pivotally connected as at 78 (FIG. 2) to a support bracket 79, and the end of the fluid motor piston rod is provided with a bifurcated arm 80 having a pin 81 (FIG. 10) extending between the arms. The upper end of a link 82 is pivotally connected to the medial portion of the pin 81 and the lower end of the link is similarly pivoted to a pin 83, mounted in a support bracket 84. The pin 81 also supports a depending bifurcated link 85 the arms of which are pivotally mounted on the pin between the upper end of link 82 and the arms 80. The upper end portion of the link 85 is pivotally connected to a pin 86 which is secured to one end of a lever formed by a pair of spaced, parallel plates 87, 88 (FIG. 11) the opposite end of the 4 lever being pivotally connected to a shaft 89 secured to the support frame 45. A hearing block 90, through which the adjusting screw 62 extends, is mounted between the plates 87 and 88 and journaled thereto as at 91. By the construction and arrangement of fluid motor and toggle mechanism afforded by members 82, and 88, the coating roller 21 is supported in an operative container-coating position when the fluid motor piston rod is in its extended position. Suitable controls are operatlvely connected to the fluid motor 76 to retract the piston rod thereby moving the coating roller to an inoperative, that is, non-coating, position in the event that there 1s a container missing from the mandrel carrier assembly, thus, eliminating contamination of an uncovered mandrel.

In setting up the overvarnish assembly for the coatmg oepration, the coarse adjustment of the rollers 12, 13 and 21 is first accomplished through the adjustment of their respective eccentric hubs 22, 23 and 58. The micro-ad ustment of the rollers is then accomplished, as described hereinabove, wherein rotation of hand wheel 63 causes coatlng roller 22 to move in the direction of arrows 71 to adjust the roller relative to a container carried by the mandrel assembly 6. Rotation of hand Wheel 41 causes the coating control roller to move in the direction of the arrows 43 relative to transfer roller 13, and rotation of hand wheel 54 causes the rollers 12 and 13 to move as a unit in the direction of the arrows 55 relative to the coating roller 21, whereby the amount of varnish or lacquer transferred to the coating roller may be controlled.

We claim:

1. A container coating assembly of the type wherein a supply of varnish or lacquer is fed to the nip portion of a pair of metering rollers, including a coating control roller and a transfer roller, said metering rollers being employed for transferring a predetermined amount of varnish to a container coating roller, the improvement comprising, first frame means, said metering rollers being rotatably mounted in said first frame means, first linkage means operatively connected to the pair of metering rollers whereby the position of the coating control roller may be changed relative to the transfer roller to thereby adjust the nip portion of the metering roller-s, second frame means, means pivotally connecting said first frame means to said second frame means, said container coating roller being rotatably mounted within said second frame means, and second linkage means operatively connected to the metering rollers whereby the position of the metering rollers may be changed as a unit relative to the coating roller.

2. A container coating assembly according to claim 1, wherein adjustment means are operatively connected to the container coating roller whereby the position of the container coating roller relative to a container to be coated may be adjusted.

'"3. A container coat-ing assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first linkage means comprises, an eccentric hub member rotatably mounted within said first frame means, a first shaft secured to said hub member, said coating control roller being secured to said first shaft, first arm means operatively connected to said eccentric hub member, one end of a link being pivotally connected to said first arm means, the opposite end of said link being pivotally connected to one end of a second arm means, the opposite end of said second arm means being secured to a second shaft, said second shaft being journaled within third frame means, a crank arm secured to the end of said second shaft, and adjusting screw means operatively connected to said crank arm, whereby when said adjusting screw means is rotated the resultant movement of the crank arm, second shaft, second arm means, and first arm means will cause the eccentric hub member to rotate thereby moving the coating control roller relative to the transfer roller whereby the nip portion of the rollers may be adjusted thereby controlling the amount of coating fluid transferred to the coating roller.

4. A container coating assembly according to claim 1, wherein the second linkage means comprises, a link having one end pivotally connected to said first frame means, the opposite end of said link being pivotally connected to one end of a second arm means, a shaft secured to the opposite end of said second arm means, a crank arm secured to said shaft, and adjusting screw means connected to said crank arm, whereby when said adjusting screw means is rotated the resultant movement of the crank arm, second arm means, and link will cause the first arm means to be rotated about the pivot means thereby moving the first frame means and associated metering rollers as a unit relative to the coating roller.

5. A container coating assembly according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment means comprises, an arm assembly operatively connected to said second frame means, adjusting screw means journaled in said arm assembly,

one end of a leg member threadably received on said ad-.

justing screw means, a shaft carried on the other end of said leg member, the coating roller secured to said shaft, and means for rotating said adjusting screw, whereby when said adjusting screw is rotated the leg member is moved relative to the arm assembly thereby changing the position of the coating roller relative to a container to be coated.

6. A container coating assembly according to claim 5, wherein stabilizing means are connected between the leg member and the arm assembly, said stabilizing means comprising an arm connected to said leg member, a roller connected to one end of said arm, and a flange member secured to said arm assembly and abutting said roller.

7. A container coating assembly according to claim 5,

wherein a reciprocating-type fluid motor is operatively connected to the second frame means and adjusting screw means through a link and lever assembly comprising, lever means having one end pivotally connected to said second frame means, the opposite end of said lever means having one end of a first link pivotally connected thereto, the opposite end of the link being pivotally connected to the end of the fluid motor piston rod, a second link having one of its ends pivotally connected to the end of the fluid motor piston rod, the opposite end of said second link being pivotally connected to a first support bracket, the fluid motor cylinder being pivotally connected to a second support bracket, and a bearing block pivotally connected to said lever means, said adjusting screw means extending through said bearing block.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,329,263 9/ 1943 Gladfelter et al. 118-262 3,508,489 4/1970 Norton l01148 3,343,484 9/1967 Dahlgren l01148 2,601,843 7/1952 Johnson et al. 118262 2,133,933 10/1938 Daley 91-48 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner L. MILLSTEIN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.-R. 101-448 

